Full feature alarm timer



T. F. RING ETAL Nov. 5, 1963 v FULL FEATURE ALARM TIMER Filed April 27. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 THOMAS F. PING PAPH C. P08/A/.S0N

fr0/@NE Y Nov. 5, 1963 T. F. RING ETAL 3,109,280

FULL FEATURE ALARM TIMER Filed April 27, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS THOMAS F. PING RALPH L'. R08/N50 Arme/Vey Nov. 5, 1963 T. F. RING ETAL. 3,109,280

FULL FEATURE ALARM. TIMER Filed April 27, 1961 5 sheets-sheet s INVENTOR. THOMAS F. PIA/6 Y t@ALPH 6. P08N30N Nov. 51963 T. F. RING E'rAl.

FULL FEATURE ALARM TIMER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 27. 1961 I'NVENToR. THOMAS F. RING BY RALPH C ROBINSON Nov. 5, 1963 T. F. RING ETAL FULL FEATURE ALARM TIMER Filed April 27, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. rHoMAs F. laf/va BY eALPH c. Pa/N50 rroemsy United States Patent ice 3,109,280 FULL FEATURE ALARM TIMER Thomas F. Ring and Ralph C. Robinson, Athens, Ga., as-

signors to General Time Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware.

Filed Apr. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 105,947 Claims. (Cl. 584-16) The present invention relates to clock timers and more particularly concerns an improved full-feature timer.

A full-feature timer is a switch controlling clock which includes a settable alarm, a function control having switch On, switch Off, Alarm and Auto-Alarm positions, a Sleep mechanism affording delayed operation of the switch, and a Drowse mechanism which permits temporary interruption of the alarm signal for a short drowse period. Such timers are most commonly utilized in clock radios lwhere the switch operates the radio. It will be appreciated however, that such timers are suited for many uses and can be employed to control virtually any electrically operated device.

A long standing problem to manufacturers and users of 'full-feature timers is the fact that not every application requires, or even desirably should include, every feature of a full-feature timer. It is obviously uneconomic to install timers having mechanisms which are never intended to be used, and it is not Apractical to design a special timer for each possible combination of functions which'might be called for.

VAccordingly, it is the primary aim of the invention to provide a novel full-feature timer which is exceptionally adaptable and versatile. Not only are the individual function mechanisms readily separable so that only those `desired for a particular application need be included, but also each of the function mechanisms are easily modified to meet a wide range of conditions.

For example, it is an object to provide a timerv in which the position of the Sleep cont-rol button and the function control button can be easily transposed. Moreover, the four rotatable settings of the function control button, namely On, Offjf Alarm, and Auto-Alarm, can be established in any-desired order.

A furtherpobject is to add to the versatility of the timer ofthe above type by providing a Sleep mechanism Whose control can be easily set to rotate either clockwise or counterolockwise from its zero position and Whose normal Idelay period of one hour can be readily extended to two or four hours. As another contribution to the versatility of the timer as described above, it is an object to provide a Drowse mechanism which can be readily controlled from either the top or side of the timer. A still further object is to provide a` timer as characterized above whose function and Sleep controls are suited for lever-set operation since each cont-rol need rotate through arcs of only approximately 75 y Another important object of the invention is to provide a timer as described above that is inexpensive to manufacture, particularly because of the extensive use of stamped parts and the fact that virtually a-ll of the settable parts are unusually longso that tolerances are not critical and the accuracies Vrequired can be easily maintained. As aY further contribution to economy, each of the adaptations referred to above can be readily made using a minimum total number of parts.

*'It is also an object of the invent-ion to provide a timer of the above type in which operation of the switch is sudden andpositive, whether operate-d by the Auto-Alarm or the Sleep mechanisms, so as to minimize the danger of arcing or permitting lrelatively high powered circuits to bedirectly switched without intervening relays.

In one of its aspects, it is an object to provide an im- 3,109,280 Patented Nov. 5, 1963 proved Sleep mechanism which is unusually compact and which -gives an audible indication of the period for which become apparent upon reading the following description and by reference to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE l shows the dial face of a timer constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the timer shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a top plan of the timer shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partially diagrammatic, perspective of the timing tra-in of the timer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section taken approximately along the line 5 5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective, taken from the front, of a portion of the mechanism embodied in the timer shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged, stop motion fragmentary elevations showing the alternating operating positions of the function control mechanism embodied in the timer of FIG. 1;

FIGS. l0, lil and 12 are enlarged, fragmentary stop motion elevations of the drowse and alarm mechanisms embodied in the timer and are taken approximately along the line 1li-'10 in FIG. 6;

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 are side elevations corresponding respectively to FIGS. El0, 11 and 12; and

FIGS. 16 and 17 are fragmentary stop motion elevations of the sleep mechanism embodied in the timer in FIG. 1.

While the invention has been Vdescribed in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that we do not intend to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, lwe intend to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Turning first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown aV timer .10 constructed in accordance with the invention and including a frame made up of front and rear frame plates 11 and 12, respectively, held rigidly in spaced relation by a plurality of posts v13. A dial face 14 bearing a conventional twelve-hour clock face indicia is mounted on the front frame plate 11.

Mounted on a shaft and sleeve stack -15 are a plurality of hands including a second hand 16, a minute hand 17, an hour hand 1-8 and an alarm indicator hand 19. The hands 116-19 sweep over the dial face 14 in the usual manner. n y

Providing an audible alarm for the timer 10 is a vibrator 20 anchored to a ilange 21 on the rear frame plate 12 and extending adjacent to a pole piece 22 of a synchronous motor 23. With the motor 23 energized and the vibrator engaged only at the flange 2.1, the vibrator-is electromagnetically oscillatcd so as to generate a clearly audible buzzing alarm sound.

For controlling an associated electric device, the timer 10 includes a switch 25 mounted on the rear frame plate 12 and having a pair of terminals 26 and 2 7. In the preferred embodiment, the switch 25 is normally closed and includes a resilient leaf 28 (see FIGS.` 7-9) that is secured to the terminal 26 so `as tobias a set of contacts 29 carried respectively by the terminal 27 and the free end of the leaf 28 into electrical contact. An operator 30 is slid-ably mounted in the housing of the switch 25 in position to engage the leaf 28. Pushing the operator 30 into the switch body, that is to the righ-t in FIGS. 749, operates the switch by opening the contacts 29. Releasing the operator 30 permits theresilient leaf 2S to again close the cont-acts 29 and project the operator 30 from the switch body.

The Timing T min The synchronous motor 23 drives the hands 16-18 uniformly and at proper time-keeping rates through a timing train best seen in FIG. 4. The motor 23 includes an output pinion 31 which meshes with a second wheel 32V fixed to a shaft 33 to which the second hand 16 .is secured. The minute hand 17 is secured to a sleeve 34 rotatably carried on the shaft 33 and having an hour wheel 35 fixed thereto. The hour wheel 35 is driven by a pinion 36 which, in turn, -is rotated by a wheel 37 in meshing engagement with a pinion 38 secured to the shaft 33.

The hour hand 18 is mounted on -a sleeve 39 that is rotatably supported on the sleeve 34 and which carries an hour wheel 40. The hour Wheel 40 is driven by a pinion 41 that is secured to a gear wheel 42 which is driven by a pinion 43 secured to the sleeve 34. The gear ratios of the wheelsl and pinions `sof-ar described are selected in the usual way so that the second hand 16 makes one revolution per minute, the minute hand 17 completes one revol-ution every hour Iand the hour hand 18 rotates once every twelve hours.

The Function Control Mechanism For controlling the alarm vibrator 20, a controller rod l 47 is pivoted in a hole48 through the rear frame plate 12 and extended forwardly into a latch slot 49 formed on the fron-t frame plate 11. The midportion of the rod 47 passes through a slot 5t), defining a canrsurface 51, formed in the function lever 45.

With the rod 47 held lby the latch slot 49 and thecsm slot 50 in its FIG. 6 position (see also FIGS. 7 and 8),

the rod is pivoted in the hole 48 so -as to beark firmly against the vibrator 20, thus surpressing vibration of the vibrator and silencing the alarm. Rotation of the func` tion lever 45 in a counterclockwisedirection causes the cam surface 51 to tilt the forward end 'of the rod 47 downwardly, thereby freeing the forward end of the rod in the latch slot 49 (see FIG. 9). This releases the force of the rod 47 against the vibrator 20 so as Ito sound the alarm. Return movement'of the function lever 45 in a clockwise direction from its FIG. 9 position causes the cam slot 50 to lift the forward end of the rod 47 back into latched engagement within the latch slot 49 so that the rod again bears -againstthe vibrator 2t) to silence the alarm.

In summary then, with the parts in the positions rshown in FIGS. 6-'8, the alarm is silenced. With the function lever 45 rocked countercloclrwise -to its FIG. 9 position, the rod 47 is swung so as to permit sounding of the alarm vibrator 20.

To control the switch 25, a switch `control lever 55 is journalled at the rear of the rear frame plate 12 on a -shaft` 56 extending between the frame plates 11, 12 paraliel to the function lever shaft 46 and the stack 15. The lever 55 includes an arm 57 which overlies and engages the switch operato-r 30. A torsion spring 58 is anchored to the front frame plate 11 and bears against a pin 59 carried by the lever 55 so as to bias the lever in a direction causing the 4arm 57 to normally bear against the switch operator 30 and hold the switch in operated condition. Thus, although lthe switch 25 itself is normally closed as explained above, the spring bias on the lever 55 which tends -to rotate the lever counterclockwise in FIGS. 69, holds the switch contacts 29 normally open as seen in FIG. 7.

A one-way connection is provided 'between the function lever and the control lever 55 which includes an arm 61 formed integrally with the function lever that overlies a pin 62 carried by the control lever 55. Rotation of the function lever 45 in a counterclockwise direction as seen in FIGS. 6-9 thus `causes the arm 61 to bear `against the pin 62 so as to rock the control lever 55 clockwise against the bias of the spring 58, thereby relieving the force on the switch operator 30 and allowing the switch contacts 29 to close. Return clockwise rotation of the function lever 45 permits the control lever 55 to be swung clockwise by its spring 58 to reopen the contacts 29.

The function lever 45 is proportioned so Vas to have three distinct angular positions, each with a different effec-t on the operation of the alarm vibrator 2i) and the switch 25. These are the positions illustrated in FIGS.

7, 8 and 9. In the first angular position, FIG.'7, the function lever :arm 61 clears or rests lightly yon the pin 62 so :that the switch contacts 29 remain open and the alarm controller rod 47 is held firmly by'the cam slot 50 in its latched position against the alarm vibrator 20. The alarm is thus silient, and the switch 25 open.

Rocking the function lever 45 counterclockwise'to the position shown in FIG. 8 causes the arm 61 to bear against the pin 62 so as to rotate the switch control lever 55 and withdraw the arm 57 from the switch operator 30, thereby closing the switch contacts 29. VThe alarm controller rod 47 is still held captive bythe cam slot 5t) and, hence, remains hooked in the latch slot 49 so that the alarm vibrator 20 is still silient. Thus, in this position of the parts, the switch 25 is closed but the alarm is silient.

Further rocking movement of the function lever 45 in a counterclockwise direction to the position shown in FIG. 9 causes the surface 51 of the cam slot 50 to kick the alarm controller rod 47 freein the latch slot 49 alarm. The switch control lever 55 rotates somewhat further in a clockwise direction but, of course, the switch 'Y FIGS. l and 3) that is fixed to :a function shaft 66 journalled between the front and rear frame plates 11, 12. An arm 67 is fixed to the shaft 66 and carries a cam driver 68 which is received in a cam slot 69 formed in the function lever 45. The cam slot 69 is shaped so that the function shaft 66 can be turned -to four distinct angular positions, each having a different effect on movement of the function lever 45. With the function shaft 66 rotated so that the arm 67 assumes the solid line position shown in FIGS. 749, the cam driver 68 is received in a wide por- 'tion 70' of the cam slot 69 which permits the functionf shown in FIG. 7 moves the cam driver 68' into a narrow` portion 71 of the cam slot 69 which holds the function lever 45 in its first, FIG. 7, position without permitting it to be rocked to either of its two alternate positions.

, Again stepping the function shaft in a clockwise direction so as to move the arm 67 to the position 67b shown in FIG. 8 brings the cam driver 68 into a narrow pontion 72 of the cam slot 69 which holds the function lever 45 in its second, FIG. 8, position and prevents its rotation to either of its two alternate positions.

Finally, rotation of the functionshaft a fourth stepY in v ioaae a clockwise direction, so as to bring the arm 67 to the position 67a shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, disposes the cam driver 68 in a wider portion 73 of the cam slot 69'. The portion 73 is sufficiently wide to permit the function lever 45 tor rock between its first and second positions, those shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, but blocks movement of the function lever to its third position, shown in FIG. 9.

The function'shaft 66, and thus the function ycontrol button 65, is therefore provided with the four standard function positions of a full-feature timer; namely Auto, On, Off land Auto-Alarm. In the Auto position of the button 65, the cam driver 68 is disposed in the portion 73 of the cam 6-9 so that the switch 25 can be turned on and off but the alarm will not be sounded.

In the On position of the button 65, the ydriver 68 is disposed in the portion 72 of the cam slot 69' so as .to hold the function lever 45 in its second FIIG. 8 position wherein the switch contacts 29 remain closed and the switch is on.

`In the Off position of the but-ton 65, the cam driver 68 is disposed in the portion 7.1 of .the cam slot 69 so as to lock the function lever 45 in its first position wherein the switch contacts 29 are maintained open and the switch is thus off. In the On land Off positions, the alarm of course cannot be sounded. Y

In the Auto-Alarm position of the button `65, the cam driver 68 is disposed in the Wide portion 70 of the cam slot 69 so that the function lever 45 is given its full range of movement whereby the switch 25 can be operated and the alarm silenced or sounded.

It is important to note that since the alternate functions resulting from the angular positions of the function button 65 depend simply upon the shape of the cam'slot 69, the cam slot can be easily formed so as to dispose its portions 70-73 in any desired order and thus vary the operating seque-nce of the function control button 65. Such a change can obviously be quite'simply made and this contributes vto the versatility of the timer 10. l

To resiliently hold the function shaft 66 in any one of its four alternate angular positions, the shaft preferably carries Ia finger 74 (see FIG. 3) which cooperates 'with a series of detente 75 formed on .the front frame plate 11. A spring 76 biases the shaft 66 so that the arm 74 snaps over the detents to establish the four angular positions of the function shaft 66 in a manner which will be well known to those skilled in this art.

The Alarm Trip Mechanism To permit the timing train to operate the function lever 45, :an elongated shift lever 80 is mounted transversely of the stack 15 :and provided with a one-way connection with the function lever 45 by virtue of a pin 81 secured to the upper end of the shift lever so -as to overlie the arm 61. One end of the shift lever `80 is slidably and pivotally supported .in the timer frame by disposing a necked dowln` portion 82. of the pin 81 within 1a slot y83 formed in the rear frame plate 12'. The other end of the y'shift lever 80 is slidably fitted on a stepped projection 85 that is rigidly mounted on `the rear surface of the front frame plate 11. :In the preferred construction, the end of the shift lever 80 4is slotted to receive the projection 85 and thus guide the sliding movement of the shift lever 80.

The projection 85 is formed with first, second, Iand third steps 87, 88 and 89, respectively, against which the upper end of the slot 86 is adapted to bear. A spring wire 90 is anchored relative to the frame plate '11' on the projection 85 'and bears against the lower end of the shift lever 80 so as to urge the slot 86 both toward the vprojection 85, that is to the left in FIGS. l3-15,'and against the steps 8'7-89, that is downwardly in FIGS. l0'-15.

To further guide the sliding movement of the shift lever 80, the central portion of the shift lever 80 is preferably formed with a slot 91 -which fits loosely about the sleeve 34 of the stack 15.

The shift lever 80l is proportioned so'thatwhen it rests on the step 487 of 4the projection 85, the position of the parts shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, the pin 81 allowsV the arm 61, and thus the function lever 45, to assume its first, FIG. 7, position. Shifting the shift lever l so that it rests on Ithe second step 8S, as shown in FIGS. 1l and 14, causes the pin 81 to pull the arm 61, and the function lever 4.5, into their second or FIG. 8 positions. Moving the shift lever so that it rests on the third step 89 of the projection 8,5 causes the arm 61, 4and thus the function lever 45, to be rotated Iinto their third or FIG. 9 positions. The spring is sufficiently strong to overcome the force of the control lever spring 58 so tha-t the shift lever 80 operates the switch 25 and controls the alarm vibrator 20 las it is shifted along the steps 87, 88 and 89.

In describing the effect of the shift lever 80 on the function shaft 45, it has been assumed, off course, that the function shaft 66 h-as been properly positioned the Auto or Auto-Alarm positions to permit movement of the function lever 45 by the shift lever S0.

For stepping the shift lever 80 at preselected times, axially separable alanm trip and alarm setting gears are positioned adjacent the shift levers so as to engage ridges 92 and 93 pressed `into the central portion of the shift lever on either side of the slot 91. In the preferred construction, the hour gear wheel 40 serves las an axially shiftable `alarm trip gear Iand is, of course, constantly rotated by the timing train in the manner previously described. Mount-ed adjacent the gear wheel 40 is an alarm setting gear 95 secured to a sleeve 96 which carries the alarm indicatcr hand .19 and is rotatably .mounted on the sleeve 39.

The gear Wheel 40 and the alarm setting gear 95 are formed with respective axially extending projections 40a and 40h, and 95a and 9512. As will be yfamiliar to those skilled in the art, :the projections 40a, 95a are spaced from the axis of their respective gears -a ydistance which differs from the radial spacing of the projections 40b, 95b, so that the projections 95b, 40h cannot come into engagement with the projections 40a and 95a. Once every twentyfour hours, however, the projections 40a, 40h rotate into engagement with the respective pnoje-cti-ons 95a, 95b with the result that the gear wheel 40 is slid axially against the ridges 92, 93 formed on the shift lever 80.

To set both the alarm setting gear 95 and the timing train of the timer 10, an axially shitable setting shaft is arranged to be selectively clutched to either the pinion 36 or a pinion 101 that is in meshing engagement with the alarm `setting gear 95 (see FIGS. 4 `and 5). The shaft 100 is rotatably and rslidably mounted between the frame plates 11, 12 and rotatably carries the pinions 36, 101. The pinions 36 and 101 are :formed with respective collars 102 and 103 .which rotatably support a sleeve 104 on which the pinion 41 is formed and which carries the gear wheel 42. The collars 102, 103 are .formed with axially extending notches 105 land 106, respectively, which are adapted to receive a swaged projection 107 formed on the shaft 100.

Pulling the shaft 100 to the left in FIGS. 4 'and 5, and slightly rotating the shaft, causes the projection 107 to enter the notch 105 thereby coupling the pinion 36 to the setting shaft 100. The setting shaft 100 may then be rotated to `adjust the positions of the minute and hour hands 17, 18. A frictionlal coupling 108 permits the pinion 36 to rotate independently of the gear wheel 37.

Sliding the setting shaft 100 to the right in FIGS'. 4 Iand 5, and slightly rotating the shaft, causes the projection 107 to enter the notch 106 thereby coupling the setting shaft .to the pinion 101. The shaft may then be rotated to kset the alarm setting gear 95 .in any 'desired angular position, indicated by the hand 19, correspon-ding to the hour at which it is desired to beginaxial separation of the gear wheels 40, 95.

The operation of the alanrn trip mechanism can now be appreciated. Beginning with FIG. 13, it will be assumed that the function control button 65 is first rotated through the Od position to its Auto-Alarm position. As the cam driver 68 passes through the narrow portion 71 of the cam slot 69, the Ifunction lever 45 is rocked to its FIG. 7 position so that the arm 61 engages the shift lever pin 81 to lift the shift lever and allow the spring 90 to snap the slot 86 against the projection 85 land over the first step 87. As the cam `driver 68 moves into the wide Aut i- Alann pontion 70 of the cam s-lot 69, the spring 90 seats .the shift lever S firmly on the step 87 and the function lever amm 61 is confined between the pin 62 on the switch control lever 55 and the pin 81 on the shift lever 80.

lAs the timing train is driven, the projections 40a, 40b are rotated into engagement with the projections 95a, 95b at the Itime determined by the angular setting of the `alarm setting -gear 95. The gear wheel 40` is moved axially as the projections 40a, 4Gb ride up on the projections 95a, 95b so as to engage the ridges 92, 93 on the shift lever Y80 and urge the shift lever from the step 87 lagainst the rbias of the spring 90. As soon as the slot 86 clears the step 87, the spring 90 pulls the shift lever 80` into the second step 88the position shown in FIG. 14, and thereby rocks the arm 61 to its second, FIG. 8, position. As eX- plained above, this rotates the switch control lever 55 in a yclockwise direction and operates the switch 25. It will be appreciated that the spring 90` snaps the shift lever 80 with a sudden posi-tive movement from the step 87 to the step 88 and thus the contacts 29 are closed quickly without flutter vor danger of arcing.

The hour wheel 40 continues to rotate with the timing train and the projections 40a, 4011 continue to ride up the respective projections 95a, 95b so as to shift the wheel 40 further to the right in FIG. 14. This further movement of :the wheel 40 eventually nudges the shift lever 80 from the Vsecond step 88 and Icauses the spring 90` to pull the shift lever down against the third step 89, the position shown in FIG. l5. Movement of the shift lever 80 from the second step 88 to the third step 89 pulls the -arm 61, and thus the function lever 45, from their FIG. 8 to their FIG. 9-.position and in so doing initiates operation of the -alarm vibrator 20.

In a practical construction, the step 88 is sufficiently wide to require a time period of approximately seven minutes to elapse'between the instant the shift lever 80 is dropped onto the step 88 `and the time it .is pushed from this step onto the third lstep 39. In this way, the switch 2'5 is operated approximately seven minutes 'before the alarm signal is initiated.

Of course, if the function control button 65 is set in the Auto position, the cam driver 68 will be'disposed within the portion 73 of the cam slot 69 and the function lever 45 will be prevented -frommoving into its third, FIG. 9, position. With this setting of the pants, the spring 90 is unable to pull the shift lever 80 onto the step 89 when the shift lever .is nudged `from` the second kstep 88 by the wheel 40. In this case, the shift lever 80, through the engagement of the pin 81 with the arm 61, remains hung in `approximately its FIG. 14 position as the projections 40a, 4Gb and 95a-, 95h rotate past one another.

The Drowse M echimz'sm To provide a drowse function, ardrowse cam 110 is loosely journalled on the shift lever 80 andV is urged to a rest position by Va torsion spring 111. Preferably, the cam 110 is formed with a central slot 112. which iits freely about the pin 81 Ithat is secured to the end of the shift lever 80. A cam and follower connection between the shiit lever and the drowse cam establishes the rest position for the drowse cam 110 and controls relative movement between the drowse cam and the shift lever. This connection includes a cam follower projection 113` formed integrally with the cam `110 and which, ridesk within an arcuate cam slot `114 formed in the end of the shif-t lever 80, An annular lock 115` is pressed onto the end ofthe projection 113` so as yto hold the parts in assembled relation.

The torsion spring 111 tends to rotate the cam 110 counterclockwise as seen in FIG. l() toward a rest position established by abutment of the projection 113 with the end of the cam slot 114. Movement of the cam 1'10 from this rest position is thus against the bias of the spring 111.

The cam 110 is formed with a toothed segment 117 which comes into driving engagement with the teeth of the minute :wheel 35 when the shift lever 80 is dropped from the first step 87 on the projection 85. Engagement of the toothed segment 117 with the minute wheel 35 arrests further movement of the shift lever under the urging of its spring 90. The driving engagement between the minute Wheel 35 and the Itoothed segment 117 rotates' the drowse cam y110 ina clockwise direction as seen i-n FIG. l'l.

The cam slot 114 is arcuate so as to constrain the drowse cam 110 for yrotation about the axis of the pin 81 drowse cam 110; that is, rotating the drowse cam from its rest position when the toothed segment 1-17 tirst engages the minute wheel 35 to thetime the projection 113 clears the drop-off portion 118 freeing the shift lever 80 for movement onto the third step 89.

" It will thus be understood that the drowse cam 110 holds the shift lever 80 in its intermediate, FIGS. 11 and 14 position for 4the period required to time out the drowse cam whether or not the slot A86 is positioned above the second step `S8 of the projection 85. when the shift lever 89 is first urged from the iirst` step 87, the drowse cam 110 times out at the same time as the gear wheel 40 urges the shift 8l) from the second step 88. In other words, both actions occur simultaneously and about the same period is required to drive the drowse cam projection 113 to Ithedrop-ol 118 as is needed for the gear wheel 4l) to urge the shift lever slot from above the step 88. Thus, if no drowse function is desired, the drowse cam 11) is simply not included as a part of the timer mechanism and the step 88 controls the delay period between operation of the switch 25 and the alarm vibrator 20.

To initiate a drowse period once the shift lever 8l) has been disposed on the third step 89 initiating sounding of the alarm vibrator 20, the function lever 45 is provided with manually actuatable drowse arms 121 and 122. By depressing :the arm 121, the function lever 45 is rocked clockwise, as seen .in IFIG. 6, so as to lift the arm 61 and slide the shift lever 80 from the step A89 against the bias of the spring 90. As the shift lever 80 is raised, as seen in FIGS. 10-15, theKtimed-out drowse cam 110 strikes a pin 123 secured to the front frame plate 11 so as to lslide the drowse cam relative to the shiftV arm 121 also, of course, resets the alarm controller rodi 47 so as to interrupt the sounding of the alarm.

Upon release of the manual force applied to the arm 121, the spring 90' again :draws the shift lever 80 downwardly until the toothed portion y117 of the drowse cam abuts the minute wheel 35 Ito thereby arrest the shift lever480 in its intermediate =FlG. ll poistion. The drowse cam must therefore be again timed out, that is the projection 113 must be driven to and over the drop-off 118 of the cam slot 114, before the shift lever 80 is released and allowed to return to the third step 89 under the Initially therefore, Y

9V urging of the spring 90. *During this timing-out period of the drowse cam 1111, the function lever 45 is held in its second FIG. 8 position by the biased control lever 55 so that the alarm vibrator 20 is silenced. The alarm is again initiated only after the drowse cam is timed out and the shift lever 811 again 'drops .to the third step 89.

The drowse period can be repeated by again manually actuating the arm 121, or the arm 122, until the projections 40a, 4811 and 95a, 95h have rotated past one another sufciently far so that the slot 86 drops onto either the first step 87 lor the second step 878 when the manual pressure on either of the arms 12.1, 122 is released.

While two drowse actuating arms 121, 122 are `shown secured tothe function lever 45, obviously only one arm need be provided in `any one application of the timer 10. That is, if a vertically actuated drowse button is desired, the arm 122 is clipped off and the button positioned to engage the arm 121. Correspondingly, if a horizontally actuated dro-wse button is to be used,k the arm 1211 is clipped off and the butto-n positioned to engage the arm 122. Still further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a simple `slide can be mounted at virtually any angle in the timer frame to engage either the function lever 45 or lone of the arms 121, 122 and thus serve as a drowse period initiating control.

In the preferred construction, the drowse cam 110 is molded of a plastic such las nylon so as to be quite inexpensive to form aswell as self-lubricating and quiet as it rotates and slides relative to the shift lever 80. Such a plastic is also resiliently shock absorbing as the drowse cam 110 drops onto the periphery of the minute wheel 35.

The Sleep Mechanism To provide a sleep function, a rack 125 is slidably mounted on the rear frame plate 12 and provided with a cam surface 126 that is engageable with the pin 59 mounted on the switch control lever 55. The rack 125 is provided with a slot 127 which slides on a shaft 128 Vjournalled between the frame plates 1:1, 12 so las to support one end of the rack. The other end of the rack 125 carries a pin 129 which is received in a slot 131i formed in the rear frame plate 12. The rack 125 is biased by a spring 131 away from the control lever pin 59 and toward a rest position established by abutment cf one end ofthe slot' 127 with the shaft 128. With the rack 125 in its rest position (see FIG. 16), the switch control lever 55 is free to rota-te through its positions previously described and illustrated in FIGS. 7 9.

Sliding the rack upwardly as seen inFIGS. 16, l7 from is rest position causes the cam surface 126 to engage the pin 59 and rotate the switch control lever 55 clockwise, thereby lifting the arm 57 from the switch operator 3f) and allowing the switch contacts 29 to close. Because of the one-way connection between the control lever 55 and the function lever 45 provided by the arm 61 and the pin 62, it will be appreciated that the rack 125, when slid from its rest position, is effective to operate the switch without regard to the position of the function lever 45.

For positioning the rack 125 a selectable distance from its rest position, the rack 125 is formed with a plurality of gear teeth 132 which, in the illustratedr embodiment,

mesh with a pinion 133. The pinion 133 is also engagedV by a pinion 134 that is mounted on a shaft 135 which carries a sleep control button 136 (see also FIGS. 1 and 3). Rotating the sleep control button 136 clockwise in FIG. l

drives the rack teeth 132 upwardly through the pinionsv 133, 134 so as to shift the rackv 125 from its rest position into camming engagement with the switch control lever pin 59. Countei'clockwise movement of the button lowers the rack 125 toward its rest position.

To provide a timed drive for returning the rack to its rest position, a ratchet pawl 137 is pivoted about the pin 129 on the rack 125 in position to engage a ratchet wheel 138 secured to the shaft 128. The shaft 128, and thus the ratchet wheel 13S, is constantly rotated by the timing train through a gear wheel 139 that is secured to the wheel 42 and which meshes with a pinion 140 frictionally coupled to the shaft 128 by a spring device 141. The pawl 137 is biased by a spring wire 142 so that the pawl teeth resiliently ratchet over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 138 as the rack 125 is shifted from its rest position. The angled teeth of the pawl 127 and the cooperating teeth of the ratchet wheel 138 provide a positive hooked engagement which locks the rack against return movement to its rest position under the force of the spring 131. With the pawl 137 in locked engagement with the ratchet wheel 138, the constant slow rotation of the ratchet wheel from the timing train drive returns the rack 125 to its rest position at a predetermined rate. Preferably, the speed of the ratchet wheel 138 is selected so that a one-hour period is required to return the rack 12S from its upper limit position shown in FIG. 17 to its rest position shown in FIG. 16.

It is important to appreciate that when the rack 125 is in its rest position, the pawl 137 is completely clear of the ratchet wheel 138. Thus, as the uppermost tooth on the rack 137 is cleared from hooked engagement withA the ratchet wheel 138 upon rotation of the latter, the spring 131 snaps the rack 125 into its rest position with a sudden movement. It is this final snapping movement of the rack 125 which slips the cam surface 126 from the pin 59 and allows the switch control lever 55 to reopen the switch contacts 29. The contacts are thus opened with a sudden positive movement so as to minimize the danger of arcing even when the switch is called upon to handle a substantial amount of electrical power.

Despite the positive hooked engagement between the teeth of the pawl 137 and the teeth of the ratchet wheel 138, the friction device 141 permits the sleep control button 136 to be rotated counterclockwise as well as clockwise to establish the precise adjustment desired by the user of the timer 10. When the button 136 is rotated clockwise, the rack 125 is elevated and the pawl 137 simply ratchets over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 138. R0- tation of the button 136 counterclockwise rotates the ratchet wheel 13S and its shaft 128, and the device 141 provides the required slippage between the shaft 128 and its drive pinion 140.

It can also be seen that rotation of the sleep control button 136 in a clockwise direction to set the rack 125 results in a slightly audible clicking noise as the pawl 137 ratchets over the ratchet wheel 138. These clicks give the user of the timer an audible indication of the setting of the sleep control and, in the illustrated construction, each click means that the mechanism has been set for an additional five-minute interval in the sleep` period, i.e., that period during which the switch contacts 29 remain closed as the rack 125 is returned to its rest position.

As observed above, the sleep control button 136 is rotated clockwise to set the sleep mechanism. If it is desired to provide a sleep control button which rotates counterclockwise to set this mechanism, the intermediate pinion 133 is simply eliminated and the pinion 134 shifted on the shaft so as to mesh with the rack teeth 132. This easily made change reverses the operating directions of the sleep control button 136. Furthermore, it can be appreciated that the duration of the total available sleep period can be easily modified by changing the gear ratio between the wheel 139 and the pinion 140. By providing a slightly smaller wheel 139 and a correspondingly larger pinion 140, a four-hour sleep delay period can be easily provided and by utilizing an intermediate size wheel 139 and pinion 140, a two-hour period can be established.

It will also be noted that the entire sleep control mechanism, with the' straight line movement of the rack 125, is quite compact. Obviously, if no sleep function is desired, the rack 125 and its associated parts are simply eliminated from the timer assembly without interfering with the function and operation of the other timer features.

As those familiar with the timer art will understand,

11 lever-set operation of a timer, taking the timer as an example, refers to a mode of operation in which the function control shaft 66 and sleep control shaft 135 are positioned by lever arms rather than the respective rotatable buttons 65, 136. A limitation on lever-set operation is that the control levers can be conveniently rotated only through an arc of about 75. Since the function control shaft 66 in the timer 10 only rotates through an approximate are of 75, lever-set operation of the shaft 66 can be easily achieved by simply replacing the button 65 with an appropriate lever arm,

ln thertimer 10, the sleep mechanism can also be easily adapted for lever-set operation even though, in the embodiment illustrated, the sleep control button 136 operates through an arc of approximately 150. To accomplish the changeover, the wheel 139 and gear 140 are replaced, as described above, with gears having an appropriate gear ratio to establish what would be a two hour sleep delay period if the full 150 of sleep shaft rotation were utilized. A lever-set lever arm is then substituted for the sleep control button 36 and, although only a 75 operating arc is available, it will be understood that this amount of adjustment will be effective to establish a full normal sixty minute sleep delay period.

Y yThose familiar with manufacturing techniques Will appreciate that the timer 10 is of an unusually economical construction, primarily because of the extensive use of stamped metal parts. The function lever 45, shift lever 80, projection 85, rack 125, pawl 137, and switch control lever 55 may be all conveniently and economically formed as stamped members. Moreover, the elongated nature of the shift lever 80 means that the tolerances with which the steps 87 and 88 on the projection 85 are formed are not so critical but that normal manufacturing techniques can be used to form the parts. Similarly, the length of the function lever 45, both the portion containing the slot 69 as well as the arm 61, means that the tolerances within which the cam slot 69 need be formed are well Within convenient manufacturing ranges.

The many aspects of adaptability afforded by the constructon of the timer 10 have, for the most part, been set forth above. For example, the entire sleep mechanism can be eliminated if desired without affecting the remaining components of the timer. Alternatively, any desired sleep period may be established by properly selecting the gear ratio between the Wheel 139 and the pinion 140. Moreover, the sleep control button 136 can be set to rotate in either direction.

If no drowse feature is desired, the drowse cam 110 is simply eliminated without interfering with the operation of the remaining parts of the timer. Since initiation of the drowse period requires only that the function lever 45 be rocked, any convenient manual mechanism for this purpose can be providedto engage either one of the arms 121, 122 or any other portion of the function lever 45 that is spaced a reasonable distance from its pivot shaft 46.

As to thecontrol of the functions of the timer 10, the cam slot 69 may be punched in the function lever 45 so as to dispose the cam slot portions 70-73 in any desired order, and thus the relative dispositions of the' Auto, On, Off and Auto-Alarm positions for the function control button 65 may be easily established as desired. Y

Primarily because of the one-way connections between the function lever 45 and both the shift lever 80 and the switch control lever 55, the timer 10 may be modified by simply dropping undesired mechanisms and without requiring extensive substitution of parts. Thus, the timer 10, while being extremely adaptable, utilizes a minimum total number of parts.

We claim as our invention:

l. In a timer having a steadily driven :timing train mounted in a frame, the combination comprising, an elongated shift lever having one end anchored to said frame for sliding and pivoting movement, a stepped projection on said frame, the other end of said lever having anedge resting on said projection, means biasing said edge of the lever both towards said projection and against Y Y said step, means coupled to said timing train for abutting the midportion of said shift lever at a selected time` to urge said lever from said projection and off of said step, aY function lever pivoted on said frame at a point spaced from the anchoring point of said shift lever, an alarm controller coupled to said function lever so as to activate an alarm when the function lever is pivoted to one position, means defining a connection between said shift lever and said function lever so that the shift lever pulls the function lever to said one position when the shift lever drops from said step.

2. In a timer having a steadily driven timing train including a shaft mounted in a frame, the combination comprising, an elongated shift lever disposed transversely of said shaft, one end of said lever being anchored to said frame for sliding and pivoting movement, a stepped pirojection on said frame, the other end of said lever having a slot slidably fitted on said projection, means biasing said other end of the lever both towards said projection and against said step, an alarm gear and an alarm setting gear mounted on said shaft, said alarm gear being Vcoupled to said timing train so as to be steadily rotated, means for turning said alarm setting gear to a desired angular position, said alarm and alarm setting gears having cooperating cam means for aixally separating said gears at a particular relative angular relation thereof, said alarm and alarm setting gears being disposed adjacent the midportion of said shift lever so that said axial separation causes said cams to urge said lever from said projection and oit' of said step, a function lever pivoted on said frame, an alarm controller coupled to said function lever so as to activate an alarm when the function lever is pivoted to one position, means defining a connection between said shift lever and said function lever so that the shift lever pulls the function lever to said one position when the shift lever drops from said step, and means for selectively abutting said function lever to either prevent movement of said shift lever or free said lever for said movement.

3. In a timer having a frame mounting a timing train with a gear wheel and an alarm, the combination comprising, an elongated shift lever having one end anchored to said frame for sliding and pivoting movement, a steppedprojection on said frame, the other end of said shift lever s having an edge resting on said projection, means biasing said other end of the shift lever both towards said projection and against said step, a pin secured to said shift lever so as to extend generally parallel to the axis of said gear wheel, means coupled to said timing train for urging said shift lever from said step at a selected time so that said pin is carried toward the periphery of said gear Wheel, a

cam journalled loosely on said pin and being biased to.

a rest position, said cam having a toothed segment which .comes into driving engagement with said gearwheel as said shift lever is urged from said step sothat movement of the shift lever is arrested as the wheel rotates said cam from its rest position, said cam and shift lever having a cam and follower connection constraining said cam for rotation on said pin from said rest position until a dropotf is reached whereupon said shift lever is freed for further movement of the pin toward the periphery of said to thereby establish an alarm Olf period determined by i the time required by said Wheel to drive said cam from its rest position to said drop-oft.

4. yIn a timer having a frame mounting a timing train with a gear wheel and an alarm, the combination comprising, a function lever pivoted on said frame and hav 13l ing two angular positions, an alarm :controller coupled to said function lever so as to activate said alarm only when the function lever is in the second of said positions, means biasing said Vfunction lever toward the lirst of said positions, an elongated shift lever having one end anchored to said frame for sliding and pivoting movement, a stepped projection on said frame, the other end of said shift lever having a slot slidably fitted on said projection, Lrneans biasing said other .end of the shift lever both towards said projection and against said step, a pin secured to said shift lever so las to extend generally parallel to the Iaxis of said gear wheel, means. coupled to said timing train for urging said shift lever Ifrom said step at a selected time so that said pin is urged toward the periphery of said gear Wheel, a cam journalled loosely on said pin and being biased to a rest position, said cam having a toothed' segment which comes into driving engagement with said gear wheel as said shift lever is urged from said step so that movement of the shift lever is arrested as the Wheel rotates said cam from its rest position, said cam and shift lever having a cam and follower connection constraining said cam `for rotation in said pin from said rest position until a drop-olf is reached whereupon said shift lever is freed for further movement of the pin towand the periphery of said Wheel under the force o-f said shift -lever biasing means, means defining a connection between said shift lever and said function lever so that the shift lever pulls the function lever to said second position twhen said further movement occurs, a stop for restoring said cam to its rest position under the force ofsaid cam bias when the shi-ft lever is slid to clear said cam from said wheel, and manually operable means for pivoting said function lever to shift said shift lever toward said stop and thereby establish an alanm Off period determined by the time required by said wheel to drive said cam from its rest position to said drop-off.

5. In a timer having a timing train and a frame mounting an operator to be controlled by the timer, the combination comprising, a control lever pivoted on said frame and having two angular positions, sm'd control lever being coupled to said operator so that movement of said control lever from its first to its second langular position actuates said operator, means biasing said control lever to its first position, a rack slidably mounted on said frame and having a cam surface engageable 'with said control lever upon movement of the rack from a rest position so -as to swing the control lever against its bias and thus actuate said operator, means for shifting said rack from said rest position, a ratchet wheel journalled in said frame adjacent said rack, a ratchet pawl mounted on said rack and being biased toward said ratchet Wheel so that movement of the rack from said rest position ratchets the pawl over the wheel, Imeans coupling said ratchet wheel tfor rotation with said timing train so as to drive the rack back to its rest position upon engage- -ment of said pawl and said Wheel, and means biasing said rack toward its rest position so that the control lever is suddenly released 'when said pawl is run off of said ratchet wheel and snapped into said rest positionby said rack biasing means. l

6. In a timer having a timing train and a frame mountin-g an operator to be controlled by the timer, the combination comprising, a control lever pivoted on said frame and having two angular positions, said control leverl being coupled to said operator so that movement of said control lever yfrom its first to its second angular position actuates said operator, means biasing said control lever to its lirst position, a rack slidably mounted on said frame and having a cam surface engageable with said control lever upon movement of the rack from a rest position so as to swing the control lever against its bias and thus actuate said operator, a manually rotatable .gear in meshing engagement with teeth on said track, la ratchet wheel journalled in said frame adjacent said rack, a ratchet pawl Imounted on said rack and being biased toward said ratchet wheel so that movement of the 'rack from said rest position ratchets the pawl over the wheel, means including a slip clutch coupling said ratchet Wheel for rotation with said timing train so as to dri-ve the rack back to its rest position upon engagement of said pawl and said Wheel, and means biasing said racktoward its rest position so that the control lever is suddenly released when said pawl is run off of said ratchet wheel.

7. In a timer having a timing train and a fname mounting an operator to be controlled by the timer, the combination comprisingpa -function lever pivoted on sai-d frame and having two angularpositions, a control lever pivoted on said frame and providing a one-way connection between said operator and said function lever so that movement of said function lever from its first to its second angular position swings said control lever from a iirst position and actuates said operator, means biasing said control lever to its first position, means for selectively swinging said function lever into either of its said angular positions for controlling said openator, a rack slidably mounted on said frame and having a cam surfacev engageable with said control lever upon movement of the rack tfrom la rest positionso |as to swing the control levery against its bias independently of said function lever and thus actuate said operator, a manually rotatable gear in meshing engagement with teeth on said rack, a ratchet wheel journalled in said frame adjacent said rack, a ratchet pawl mounted on said rack and being biased toward said ratchet wheel so that movement of the rack 'from said rest position ratchets the pawl over the wheel, means including a slip clutch coupling said ratchet wheel for rotation with said timing train so as to drive the rack back to its rest position upon engagement of said pawl and said lwheel and means biasing said rack toward its rest position so that the control lever is suddenly released when said pawl is run off of said ratchet wheel.

8. In a timer having a timing train and a Iframe mounting `an alarm and an operator to be controlled by the timer, the combination compri-sing, a function lever pivoted on said frame having three angular positions, an alarm controller coupled to said function lever so as to activate said `alarm only when the function member is the third of said positions, means coupling said operator and function lever so as to actuate the operator only when the function lever is in the second or third o-f said positions, means controlled by said timing train for pivoting said function lever from its rst to its second position and then from its second to its Ithird position, a sett-able function shaft pivoted in said frame adjacent to said function lever and a cam driver xed to said function shaft, said driver being re- Vceived in a cam slot formed at said function lever so that rotation of said function shaft pivots said function lever, said cam slot 'being :shaped so that in one `function shaft setting the function lever is locked in its said 'first position, in another setting the function lever is locked in its said second position, in a further setting the function lever is free to pivot between its first and second positions, and in still another setting the function lever is f-ree to pivot to its iirst, secon-d and third positions.

9. In a timer having a timing train and a frame mounting `an alarm and an operator to be controlled by the timer, the combination comprising, a yfunction lever pivoted on said frame Ihaving three angular positions, an alarm controller coupled to said function lever so as to activate said alarm only when the function member is the third of said positions, means coupling said operator and function lever so as to actuate the operator only when the func-tion lever is in the second or third of said positions, a shift lever movably mounted on sai-d'frame, said'shift lever having a one-Way connection with said function lever and being biased so formed at said function lever so that rotation of said function shaft pivots said function lever, said cam slot being shaped so that'in one function shaft setting the function lever is locked in its said first position, in another setting t-he function lever is locked in its said second position, in a further setting the function lever is free to pivot between its first and second positions, and in still another setting the function lever is free to pivot to its first, second and third positions.

10. lIn a timer having a timing train and a frame lmounting an alarm and an operator to be controlled by the timer, the combination comprising, a -function lever pivoted on said frame 'having three angular positions, an alarm controller coupled to said function lever soas to activate said lalarm only when the function member is the third of said positions, means coupling said operator Iand function lever so as t0 actuate the operator only when the function lever is Iin the second or third of said positions, an `elongated shift lever having one end anchored to said frame for sliding and piv- '16 oting movement, :a stepped projection on said frame having three steps, the other end of said lever having van edge resting on said projection, means biasing said edge o-f the lever both towards said projection and against the steps, means coupled to said Itiming `train for abutting the niidportion of said shift lever at a selected time to urge said lever from said projection and olf of said steps, one at a time, said shift leverhaving a oneway connection with said function lever so as to urge said function lever from said first, through said second, and to said third `'angular positions with lone step pivoting said function lever from its first to its `second position and the next step Ypivoting said function lever from it-sV second to its third position, a settable function shaft pivyoted in said frame adjacent to said function lever and a cam ldriver fixed to said function shaft, said driver 4being received in a cam slo-t formed at said function lever so that rotation of said function shaft pivots said function lever, said cam slot being shaped so that in one function shaft setting the yfunction lever is locked in its said iirst position, in another setting the `function lever is locked in its said -second position, in a further setting the function lever is `free to pivot between its first and secon-d positions, `and in still 'another setting the function lever is `free to pivot to its first, second Vand third positions.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,994,183 Dimond etal. Aug. l, 1961 

1. IN A TIMER HAVING A STEADILY DRIVEN TIMING TRAIN MOUNTED IN A FRAME, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, AN ELONGATED SHIFT LEVER HAVING ONE END ANCHORED TO SAID FRAME FOR SLIDING AND PIVOTING MOVEMENT, A STEPPED PROJECTION ON SAID FRAME, THE OTHER END OF SAID LEVER HAVING AN EDGE RESTING ON SAID PROJECTION, MEANS BIASING SAID EDGE OF THE LEVER BOTH TOWARDS SAID PROJECTION AND AGAINST SAID STEP, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID TIMING TRAIN FOR ABUTTING THE MIDPORTION OF SAID SHIFT LEVER AT A SELECTED TIME TO URGE SAID LEVER FROM SAID PROJECTION AND OFF OF SAID STEP, A FUNCTION LEVER PIVOTED ON SAID FRAME AT A POINT SPACED FROM THE ANCHORING POINT OF SAID SHIFT LEVER, AN ALARM CONTROLLER COUPLED TO SAID FUNCTION LEVER SO AS TO ACTIVATE AN ALARM WHEN THE FUNCTION LEVER IS PIVOTED TO ONE POSITION, MEANS DEFINING A CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID SHIFT LEVER AND SAID FUNCTION LEVER SO THAT THE SHIFT LEVER PULLS THE FUNCTION LEVER TO SAID ONE POSITION WHEN THE SHIFT LEVER DROPS FROM SAID STEP. 